Print drier



A. ROMERO PRINT DRIER July 6, 1943.

Filed Feb. 29, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY J 6, 1943- I A. ROMERO 2,323,680

PRINT DRIER Filed Feb. 29, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 13' 36 INVENTOR. v ,4/vr0/v/0 ROME/Q0 I C Q's Patented July 6, 1943 UNITED STATES OFFICE 8 Claims.

This invention relates generally to electrically heated driers for photographic prints, but more specifically to driers having a top drying surface and a similar bottom drying surface, each surface acting as an independent drier.

The main object of the invention resides in the provision of an electrically heated print drier having opposing and curved heated surfaces, each of said surfaces being provided with a canvas or fabric stretchable over said surfaces on which the prints to be dried are placed, the drier surfaces being adapted to be elevated from the sup porting table or platform when either in normal or inverted position.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a print drier wherein the fabric members are partly secured to pivoted frameworks whereby said members when removed from the drying surfaces for the withdrawal of prints are maintained in a position away from the supporting table or platform of the drier.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a drier construction having an upper and lower chamber containing heating elements, the said two chambers being joined to form a third non-conducting chamber for retaining the heat for use on the top and bottom walls of the upper and lower chambers.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a print drier of the above nature which is simple to operate, economical to construct, easy to assemble and efiicient in its doubleduty operation.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear in the progress of the disclosure and as pointed out in the appended claims.

Accompanying this specification are drawings showing a preferred form of the invention wherein corresponding reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the drier construction showing the fabric members stretching over the top and bottom drying surfaces.

Figure 2 is a front view in elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view in elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of Figure 1 along the plane 4-4 thereof.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional View of Figure 1 showing the fabric for the top drying surface removed therefrom.

In accordance with the invention and in aceordance with the preferred embodiment thereof, the print drier is comprised of an upper chamber and a lower chamber secured together to form a third intermediate chamber. The up per chamber is comprised of spaced convex plates i0 and H, with resistance wire l2 therebetween embedded in suitable non-conducting material, while the lower chamber is comprised of similar spaced plates 13 and !4 having resistance wire :5 embedded in any non-conducting material. Resistance wires l2 and i5 are suitably joined together preferably in series, and, although not shown in the drawings, any suitable thermostat may be incorporated in the electrical circuit as in the third chamber which may either out off the full current when a predetermined temperature is reached or a portion of the current. Plates Hi and ii of the upper chamber along the transverse edges are prefereably provided with spaced flanges Ilia and Ma respectively, While plates l3 and M of the lower chamber are provided with similar spaced flanges along the transverse edges I3a and Ma respectively. The longitudinal edges of plates H), i I and l3, M are provided with flanges i'i, l8 and I9, 20. Flange I8 is preferably lower than flange ll while flange I9 is preferably higher than flange 20 as shown in Figure 5. Plates it} and II along flanges I! and I8 are preferably spot-welded together to form longitudinal walls of the apparatus while plates I3 and 54 along flanges l9 and 20 are similarly spotwelded whereby the compound plates making up the upper and lower chambers are secured together.

For purposes of joining the upper and lower chambers together to form a third non-conducting chamber therebetween, side or transverse walls l6 are provided connecting the upper and lower chambers between the flanges Ifia, I la and [3a and 14a as best shown in Figure 4, the said side or transverse walls 16 each being preferably provided with a bracket member 2| whereby the securing means between the longitudinal flanges of the upper and lower chambers secure the side pieces [6 by means of screws 22 and 34. Screws 22 and 34 are adapted to penetrate the outer flange IQ of plate l3 against the inner flange 18 of plate I l, the space between the edges of flanges l1 and IQ of plates If! and I3 being indicated in Figure 4 by numeral I la.

Adapted to be secured to flange I! along one edge of the upper plate is a strip of canvas or fabric 24, the said fabric terminating along one end in a hem enclosing a reinforcing strip 23, the latter being secured to flange I! in any manner a by screws 23. The opposite end of fabric 24 is provided with a tubular portion 26 enclosing a rod 25, the ends of said rod having mounted thereon two coil springs 2 1, the said springs 2'! being anchored to a handlebar 28. The handlebar 28 forms part of a bail carrying fabric 24 and is adapted to straddle convex plate l6. Thus each end of bar 28 is provided with a connecting arm 29 having a curved piece 29' and a bracket 30, the said bracket 30 being provided with a pivot 3| passing through the side member [6, said pivot being mounted Within a slot 32 on bracket 30. The ends of handlerod 28 are provided with hand knobs 33. Thus, canvas or fabric 24 is secured on one end to the drier at flange l7 and on the other end is springably secured to a framework which latter is utilized to stretch the fabric 24 over plate 10 to sandwich prints thereon for drying purposes.

Plate E3 of the lower chamber is similarly provided with a fabric member 36 secured to flange edge IS on the opposite side of the drier at a hem portion enclosing a reinforcing strip the said strip being affixed to said flange I9 by any means such as screws 35. The opposite end of fabric 35 is similarly provided with a tubular portion 38 enclosing a rod 31, the ends of said rod being provided with coil springs 39 secured to the ends of a handlebar 46. Handlebar 40 near the ends is similarly provided with a connecting arm 4! having a curved piece 4i and a bracket portion 42,

the bracket 42 being pivotally secured to end pieces l6 by means of a pivot 43 passing through a slot 44 of bracket 42. 45 indicates handknobs at the ends of bar 40.

Each end of the transverse pieces I6 is provided with a supporting leg 46 secured thereto by any means such as screws 41, the said legs projecting above the upper plate 10 and below the lower plate [3 and having notches in the front faces 46a whereby handlebars 28 and 48 may be latched to said supporting pieces 46 when the can vas or fabric pieces are stretched over the plates l0 and I3.

Plates i0 and i3 constituting the upper and lower faces or the top and bottom walls of the apparatus are preferably chromium plated and should be cleaned before heating. After the plates have been thoroughly washed and freed from hypo, the excess water should be removed in the known manner. Thereafter, the prints are placed on drying surface I 0 with face up for matte prints and with face down for glossy prints. Thereafter, canvas 24 is stretched over plate ID by pulling handlebar 28 at, hand knobs 33 from the position shown in Figure 5 to the position shown in Figures 1 and 3 until the handlebar 28 engages notches 46a in legs 46. When this is done; the apparatus is inverted and the same procedure repeated for inserting prints between the fabric 36 and surfac 13. In the removal of the prints from the apparatus after they have been dried, the handlebar 28 at hand knobs 33 is pulled forwardly whereby it is disengaged from notches 46a. Thereupon the framework for canvas 24 is pushed back on pivots 3| until brackets 30 abut against the edges of supporting legs 46. In this manner, the canvas 24, when removed from plate In, is suspended between the edge of the drier and handlebar 28 in the form of a drape and does not scrape along or touch the supporting table and thereby become contaminated. To remove fabric 36 from plate l3, the framework for fabric 24 is pulled down into engaging position with notches 46a and then the apparatus is inverted. Thereafter, the same procedure is followed for the removal of prints between canvas 36 and plate I3.

It is to be observed that curved pieces 29 and 4| serve as handles for both the reversal of the drier and for carrying the same from place to place. Moreover, in the stretching of the fabric 24 and 36 over plates I0 and I3, practically no sliding friction takes place between the plates, the prints and the fabrics because the latter are secured at the rear edges to the longitudinal walls of the drier.

I wish it understood that minor changes and variations in the material, integration, construction and position of parts, may all be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A print drying apparatus including a body having a heated convex top wall, a heated convex bottom wall, transverse and longitudinal walls, a pair of flexible fabric members, one fabric member being secured at one edge to the outer surface of one longitudinal wall, the second fabric member being secured at one edge to the outer surface of the opposite longitudinal wall, a pair of framework members oppositely and pivotally secured to the outer surfaces of the transverse walls, the first fabric member having an edge secured to one framework member whereby said fabric may be rendered taut and be superposed over the convex top wall, the second fabric member having an edge secured to the second framework member whereby said fabric may be rendered taut and be superposed over the convex bottom Wall, supporting members secured to said body extending above and below the convex top and bottom walls and having means to detachably engage said framework members.

2. A print drying apparatus including a body having a heated convex top Wall, a heated convex bottom wall, transverse and longitudinal walls, a pair of flexible fabric members, one fabric member being secured at one edge to the outer surface of one longitudinal wall, the second fabric member being secured at one edge to the outer surface of the opposite longitudinal wall, a pair of framework members oppositely and pivotally secured to the outer surfaces of the transverse walls, the first fabric member having an edge springably secured to one framework member whereby said fabric may be rendered taut and be superposed over the convex top wall, the second fabric member having one edge springably secured to the second framework member whereby said fabric may be rendered taut and be superposed over the convex bottom wall, supporting members secured to said body extending above and below the convex top and bottom walls and having means to detachably engage said framework members.

3. A print drier embodying a body provided with a print supporting surface, a frame cooperating with said surface and mounted by one end upon said body for pivotal and bodily sliding movements with respect to the body, a flexible member anchored by one end to said body, means connecting the opposite end of the flexible member to the frame remote from the frame pivot, whereby said flexible member may be positioned over said surface by said frame, means for releasably anchoring the free end of said frame to the body, and means tending normally to move said frame bodily in a direction to maintain the free end of the frame anchored to the body.

4. A print drier embodying a hollow body having a substantially elliptical cross-sectional shape to provide drying surfaces disposed in close proximity to each other, heating means intermediate said surfaces, a frame for each of said surfaces, each of said frames being connected by one end to the body for sliding and pivotal movements with respect thereto, flexible members individual to the frames, one end of each of the flexible members being secured to the body and the other end being secured to the respective frames at a point remote from the frame pivot, notches on the body remote from the pivots of the respective frames, means adjacent the free ends of the respective frames adapted to engage in the respective said notches when the flexible members are drawn over their co-operating drying surfaces, and resilient means individual to the frames and tending normally to move the frames in a direction to draw the last said means into said notches.

5. A print drier comprising a hollow body having a convex top Wall and a convex bottom wall, heating means intermediate said walls, a frame member for each of said walls, means for connecting one end of each of said frame members to said body for sliding and pivotal movements with respect thereto, flexible membsrs individual to the frame members, one end of each of the flexible members being secured to the body and the other end being secured to the respective frame member at a point remot from the end of the frame member that is connected to the body, supporting members rigidly associated with said body and extending above and below the convex top and bottom Walls for supporting said body, and notches in said supporting members into which said frame members may be engaged and stretch said flexible members across said top and bottom walls.

6. In a drier for sheet material, a body of elliptical form in longitudinal section the opposite convex surfaces of which are adapted for engagement of sheets to be dried, sheets of flexible material, one of said sheets secured at one end to one end of the body and adapted to overlie a convex surface of the body and another sheet secured at one end to the opposite end of the body and adapted to overlie the other convex surface of the body, a bail pivotally mounted at the ends on the sides of the body adjacent each end thereof to straddle th convex surfaces of the body, springs connecting the free ends of the flexible sheets to the portion of the balls straddling the convex surfaces and said bails being operative to move the flexible sheets away from the convex surfaces and to position to overlie and stretch said sheets over the convex surfaces, and means to heat said convex surfaces of the body.

'7. In a drier for sheet material, a body of elliptical form in longitudinal section the opposite convex surfaces of which are adapted for engagement with articles to be dried, sheets of flexible material, means securing one of said sheets at one end to one end of the body so as to overlie a convex surface of the body and another of said sheets at one end to the opposite end of the body so as to overlie the other convex surface of the body, a bail mounted at its ends on the sides of the body adjacent each end thereof to straddle the convex surfaces of the body, said bails being mounted for pivotal movement away from and toward the convex surfaces of the body and limited sliding movement endvvise relative to the body, notches on the body remote from the pivots of the bails into which said bails may be engaged and stretch said flexible sheets across said convex surfaces, a rod attached to the free end of each sheet of flexible material, springs connected to the ends of said rods and the balls to yieldingly connect the flexible sheets to the bails, and means to heat said convex surfaces of the body.

8. In a drier for sheet material, a body of elliptical form in longitudinal section the opposite convex surfaces of which are adapted for engagement with articles to be dried, sheets of flexible material, means securing one of said sheets at one end to one end of the body so as to overlie a convex surface of the body and another of said sheets at one end to the opposite end of the body so as to overlie the other convex surface of the body, a bail mounted at its ends on the sides of the body adjacent each end thereof to straddle the convex surfaces of the body, said bails being mounted for pivotal movement away from and toward the convex surfaces of the body and limited sliding movement endwise relative to the body, supporting members rigidly associated with said body and extending above and below the convex surfaces thereof for supporting said body, notches in said supporting members into which said bails may be engaged and stretch said flexible sheets across said convex surfaces, a rod attached to the free end of each sheet of flexible material, springs connected to the rods and the bails to yieldingly connect the flexible sheets to the bails, and means to heat said convex surfaces of the body.

ANTONIO RONIERO". 

